Expectations
by Graysi
Summary: Jade's father hasn't shown up to see her play. Again. It doesn't matter - it's not like she's spent two years and 200 dollars on it or anything. It's not like he promised her that he'd be there. It's not like he didn't call her to tell her he wasn't coming. All she knows is, she's gotta leave this stupid theatre RIGHT NOW. Bade. Oneshot.


_Hi. So this took up so much time because I did three different versions of it. Y'know when you get different ideas and you don't know which one's the best? So one version - Beck and her were together, one - they had broken up, and one - Beck and her had broken up but it was André who came out to her. But I chose this one because it had more to say. Just pretend Well Wishes never happened yet, because I want Jade's father never to have seen her plays before._  
_Also, a few people have been asking about doing multi-chapters on some of my previous stories but the reason I do one shots is because I get an idea in my head about a little thing, e.g. why Beck always plays with Jade's hands, (clawing) and I have to do a story about that. But that's as far as the idea goes and to do another chapter would just be doing it completely blind. If you know what I mean. Though you probably don't - that was pretty rambled. One shots are from one idea and they get my full interest and occupy all my time because I'm interested in it. If I did more chapters I'd feel like I would get uninterested and I'd make it bad.. I dunno. (?)_  
_And I don't own victorious..._

* * *

"Sorry Jade. He probably had a good reason."  
"Yeah, sorry."  
"It sucks porcelain."  
"Don't be sad Jade! _Pleasey_."  
"Jade? The play was wonderful….It really was."  
"Jade?

Jade, Jade, Jade, Jade, Jade, JADE!  
"_Shut up_!" she hisses and pushes past them, ignoring their comforting hands and pitying glances that she just _hates_ so much.

It's freezing outside and she likes that because it's something to concentrate on. It's nice, she thinks. It's _so_ nice. It's dark, and deserted and quiet, and everyone has left the play now, but it's that kind of dark and deserted and quiet where she feels like she's the only one awake. And she's here, under the stars, while the whole world sleeps, oblivious. The streets are quiet in this part of town and everything seems so _still_. Her heels click on the tarmac and she stands under a lamppost, that lights her up and darkens the world, making her feel _artistic_ and _beautiful_ and _dramatic_. Lampposts always give her that feeling for some reason.

Jade?"  
So much for being the only one awake. She doesn't turn around, waiting to see if they can read her _very_ obvious body language of '_Go. Away_' from the back. They can't.  
"Jade?" It's a male, she acknowledges because she's not paying much attention to him until he stands directly in front of her and puts his hands on her shoulders to make her look at him. He's got long dark hair, falling carelessly across his eyes and his lips are full and pink and his eyes are gazing into hers concernedly, searching for something. It's Beck, she recognises. As usual.

Although it's not as usual as it used to be. In fact, as of now it's actually pretty _un_usual.

"Jade?" She looks at him blankly, like there's _nothing_ in the whole world to say anymore because '_he'_ let her down _again,_ and why on earth was she expecting different this time anyway? There _is_ nothing to say. She expected something that was _never_ going to happen anyway. What would ever need saying now?  
And she's still trying to figure out why the fuck he's outside with her in the first place – an extremely depressed teenage girl, wearing a _stupid_ strapless dress and _stupid _black heels and a _stupid_ morose expression, when he _should_ be inside with the rest of the cast, drinking red bull and throwing popcorn at the crew, trying to clean up.

"Jade?" he repeats. "Say something." And she doesn't because she thinks, '_Why_?' It won't change anything. So why bother?'  
"Please." He's worried, she senses, from the pleading tone in his voice, and the way his concerned eyes search her blank ones, looking for a shred of emotion that he can relate to. Just like he always does. Did. Whatever. But there's nothing in her eyes. She's just blank.

He breathes out anxiously, at her unresponsive manner, his face only a few inches from hers, searching, searching, for something, _anything_. She doesn't give the impression that she'll respond to her name being called over and over and over. He also hates that. He knows what his name is thank you. Now, will saying it make it better? No. So he tries something different.

"Jade? I'm very _worried_ right now, because you're not talking to me, and I'm guessing it's because you've just been let down - again, and you're upset. And when you're upset, you get angry or you aggressive or you cry, but you don't …_shut down_ like, … like it's _over_. And Jade… I'm _scared_, because you're never upset like _this_. So please. Can you say something to me to let me know if you're alright? 'Cause you're scaring me. So much"  
She keeps looking at him blankly because she doesn't want to say anything, but he _never_ tells the truth like that or explains how he's feeling so _openly, _so he must meant it, he must be scared,so she answers quietly.

"But I'm not alright."  
He breathes out, in relief for some reason, despite her answer. He just wanted a reaction – any reaction.

"Okay. Okay, so what can we do to make it alright?"  
Stares.  
"Nothing."  
"C'mon, what can we do? Let's do something, or go somewhere. C'mon Jade let's just leave."  
Stares.  
"Me and you. Come on." And he takes his hands away to tug at her hand. She doesn't move.

"Beck." She whispers looking down at their clasped hands, bringing him to a halt and his head whips round to look at her.  
"Yeah?" Kindly. In that voice he uses for Jade that always sounds to Tori that he'd do anything for her. _Anything._ She shakes her head expressionlessly, looking up at him.  
"What the hell are doing here?" He looks confused and stares at her.  
"You're upset. I thought I'd come see if you're okay." He states it like it's such an obvious answer and Jade thinks, no. No, no, no, no, _no._ It's anything _but_ obvious.

"Why you?" He cocks his head, still that confused crease between his eyebrows.  
"I was worried about you. I wanted to know if you were alright."  
"Couldn't Cat, or André do that?" she presses. He's still confused and paranoid in the back of his head that these questions are just to distract him from the soon-to-be eruption of tears. But her eyes are dry.  
"Sure they could. But_ I_ wanted to. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." Her silent tormented eyes seem to throw guilt at him. "That you were going to be okay" he amends. Her face is still hard and quiet and intense. Looking at him like _he's_ the one who hurt her. And no-one but Beck could ever tell, but Jade's blank staring face is actually so angry and so hurt and he doesn't know how to fix it.

"Beck, What the hell are you doing here?" she repeats and she's just asked that so he doesn't answer, confused.  
"Why are you _here_? With me? Out here, in this freezing empty parking lot, holding my hand and staring into my eyes like… like we're still together. Because we're _not_ together anymore Beck. We both made sure of that. We're not together anymore." She stares up at him earnestly, her eyes burning in blame, directed at herself or him, Beck didn't know, and she repeats again, as if for confirmation, "We are _not _together anymore. …So why are you here?"

Beck swallows. No, he thinks, she's right. They're _not_ together anymore. That's true. She's right. That's right. And he should stop doing all this – buying her coffee every morning, calling her after American idol, offering her rides from school (even though in _every_ case, she'd reject him) He was the one who wouldn't open the door right? Because Jade was being _so_ hard to be around and life was so much easier without her.

But it wasn't easy at all and despite all those reasons, why was it the hardest thing to remember_ not_ to put his arms around her during lunch? So he drops her hand from his and runs his hand through his hair. _You're not mine_, he thinks staring at her big blue eyes and full red lips and long wavy hair that falls down to exactly to that freckle she has on her back_. You don't belong to me_.

"I'm _here_ because whatever label you put on us, boyfriend and girlfriend, friends, ex's, acquaintances – _whatever _– I still love you. You're not going away Jade. I don't kiss you on the cheek every morning ...or take you to The Lobster Pot on Saturday evenings, but don't you _dare_ think that means I don't care anymore. And I know, you want to make out like you hate me, but you don't. When Fishy #6 died, why was it that I found _you_ waiting outside my RV for me? To see if I was okay? _Huh?_ Three years doesn't disappear like that Jade. We both know it. _That's_ why I'm here."

Her breathing has hitched but her expression stays the same blank mask. And she just answers quietly: "Ok." And his eyes soften at her acceptance of his words and he reaches down to grab her hand again.  
She swallows and despite her longing to stay exactly where she is, under this lamppost, in the quiet, wallowing in all her numbness and defeat, she lets him lead her away slowly, trusting that he can make it better.

What a thing to trust, she thinks.

He keeps speaking encouragement and _positive_ and _happy_ to her, all the way to the parking lot. Just because she's upset and he cares about her doesn't mean that she won't hit him right now.  
"That's it, c'mon, think Jade! What shall we do huh? You want to take a drive somewhere? What do you think? Or let's go to the beach yeah? You love the beach at night. C'mon we'll make a night of it! Let's –"  
And he trails off, in reaction to Jade's sudden motionlessness.  
"Jade?"  
She's staring at something in front of her, like she's staring down the barrel of a gun and that uneasy feeling sweeps in on them and suddenly, he's afraid to look around.

It's a car, that she's staring at and he can hear noises coming from it.  
Noises that he knows they shouldn't intrude on. Suggestive noises – heavy breathing, gasping, moans and little girly giggles.  
"Jade." He whispers. "Jade, let's leave." And tries to tug her transfixed eyes away.  
She shakes her head and takes a step, _towards_ them for God's sakes.  
"Jade!" he hisses. "Let's go!"  
She's standing about a foot away from them, a man and a woman pressed up against the car, oblivious to their audience.

"Dad?"

_Fuck it._

"Dad?" she whispers quietly. But it's enough.  
They freeze and the giggles cut off.  
"Dad?"  
Shit. Oh God no, you absolutely have to be _joking_. The reason he couldn't make her play tonight, was because –

"Jade. Hello." He turns around as his lady friend fixes herself up behind him, tugging down her dress and smoothing out her hair. "I uh… I was just about to go in… to see your play." He smiles like he's the _good guy_ and Beck is hanging himself in his head, _wishing_ that he hadn't dragged her over here. The pain and humiliation on her face was killing him so badly.  
"The play's over Dad." She whispers. "It's been over for forty five minutes."  
He coughs uncertainly, and his brain is almost visibly thinking of something to calm her down and still come out as a good guy. His 'Oh-God-My-daughter-is-such-a-buzz-kill' expression was not helping Beck's clenched fist want to punch him any less.  
"Sorry Jade, I'll see the next. I promise" and Jade almost strangles herself, her stomach plunging uneasily at how much she _wished _he hadn't said that. _Again_. God, if she had a nickel for _every time_…

Little miss 'Ruby Lips' slithers out around from behind him and smiles at Jade sweetly. Sweetly, in a very villainous and patronising way, if that's possible.  
"Jade, sweetie, I'm _sorry_ baby, it was my fault. See I just couldn't decide what dress to wear tonight and I made him late. I just wanted to look good for your show baby. _Don't_ blame daddy now." Really, if she _did_ have a nickel for _every_ single _fucking time_…

Beck glances nervously between Jade to 'Ruby Lips' to her dad and he knows that in five seconds, someone's head is going to be rolling and he can't really figure out who's it's going to be and he can't think of how to make Jade okay again. So he steps in beside her, and wraps his hands around her waist, trying to pull her away.  
"C'mon Jade let's go" he whispers into her hair.  
She slowly surrenders and her feet back up as if she's backing symbolically away from her father. And that absolute WHORE. His arms tighten around her as he pulls her away, knowing that if can just get her to that dark lonely beach then he'll be able to make her smile. And she'll be okay. His eyes are fixed on her shoulder so he doesn't have to look at her expression, because he just know that it's a _heartbreaker_ and no one's ever hated anyone as much as he hates her father at this moment in time, for doing this to his Jade. Or doing this to Jade. Ruby lips smiles and waves at her with her stupid fake nails and it snaps something in Jade and she lets rip.

"I was in there, _waiting_ for you, while you were fucking that _whore _against a car!" she screams, causing Beck to flinch and automatically pull her into him soothingly, though it has no affect. And why should it? She isn't his to soothe. So let go of her Beck! (…But he doesn't.)  
"You were fucking her while I _waited_ for you! Where _were_ you? Where the _fuck _were you? Where the fuck have you been Dad?"  
And to Beck, that last sentence doesn't really sound like she's talking about tonight.  
"Where the fuck have you been?" she screams at him again, her screams echoing in the deserted parking lot. Her voice is getting hoarse and emotional and it's making Beck flinch and her father mad, as he storms over to her, like a hunter with a shotgun, and Beck's arms tighten around her protectively.

"What did you call my Sarah? _What_ did you call her?" he's roaring at her, pointing a threatening finger in her face and Beck can see that 'hate' in his eyes that she's always talking about. Talked about. Whatever.  
(_Don't hit him Beck. Don't even think about it. Don't you dare – it won't help anything. Seriously, unclench your fist Beck - do it.) _  
"I called her a fucking WHORE!" she screams back, _seriously_ not helping the situation that Beck _seriously_ does not know how to salvage.  
"You little shit! You cheeky little shit Jade!_ (Don't hit him!)_ You know I proposed to her tonight? I thought you'd be _happy_ for me. We're getting married Jade and all you seem to fucking do is ruin it for me!" And that makes Jade freeze and shut up.

Time stops. Beck can hear every tick of Jade's heartbeat, every flutter of her eyelashes, every little shaky breath.

"Married?" she repeats almost inaudibly. Her father stops too, when he sees her face drop, looking uneasy, the anger completely leaking from his voice.  
"Yes. Married Jade. …We've been together for years." She nods in slow comprehension.  
"Right." She breathes out, all the fight gone out of her. "Okay. Married. _Right_." Her father looks down at her, looking confused about her tone and her sudden mood-swing.  
"Me and your mom… we would never work out Jade. …_She_ knows that,_ I_ know that. Even your _brother_ knows that." Jade swallows and the silence after their screaming match is suddenly magnified until it hurts Beck's ears.

"_I_ know that… We would never take you back anyway." She hisses venomously but Beck can see on her face that she has to leave _Right. Now._ and her grabs her hands and leads her away without another word and although she knows they're not together anymore, she squeezes his hand back so tight because there has never been another time when she needed him more than right now.

He leads her away.  
Away from her apologetic but not-so-sorry father and her lipstick wearing, soon-to-be step-mom and the empty theatre and the deserted parking lot and the beautifully dramatic lampposts. He leads her away from there, her heels slowly clicking and his boots slowly thudding, walking gradually side by side, as if they had all the time in the world, like the couple in the end of a movie walks away from the disorder they had encountered, and it doesn't matter that they're not together anymore because he's holding her hand so tight, like nothing in the world would _ever _convince him to let it go.


End file.
